I have a 1990 vette & replaced the radiator but the shop wired incorrectly or radiator malfunctioned and started pulling the transmission fluid through the radiator and cycling through engine until the radiator overflow exploded. Shop called it a malfunctioning radiator and replaced it. They sent me home with a new problem...a leaking water pump. Not wanting to take it back after this $1000.00 repair, I purchased water pump but before I could deliver to a friend to replace another issue came about. I started (which didn't just fire immediately like always...it wanted to crank and crank THEN finally turn) the car and the engine was shaking violently and I started to smell raw fuel. When I pulled over there was white smoke and raw fuel smell coming from all 4 tailpipes. babied it the couple of miles home where I discovered fuel spraying from the undercarriage. The friend replaced 2 injectors, the water pump and all spark plugs. Car started but hydrolocked. He removed the right rear spark plug stating fuel "poured" out. He let it dry up and tried to use a portable starter...no go. Hooked his car up to it and was able to get it to crank. I picked up the car (still having the issue of not wanting to fire immediately) which was sputtering, lagging, misfiring but I got it home. The next morning I went to start it and again did not fire right up but was cranking until I heard a heartstopping "something" and the engine quit. Friend said it was hydrolocked again so I removed spark plug to drain fuel as suggested but no fuel "poured" out. Now all I get is a "click" when turning the ignition but it will not crank. Friend has zero idea what's wrong. As an added bonus, friend told me that shop who installed the second radiator cross-threaded into the transmission and now I have transmission fluid leaking.

I am at a loss and feel like I have the only unfixable vette around here. Please can someone tell me if they know what's wrong and what I need to do. I am afraid to let anyone touch the car because each time I get it back in worse condition. I am a single female and have a better-than-average understanding about engines but I am not equiped to figure this out on my own.

Thank You!!!

 

heres my 2 cents worth. Sounds somewhere along the way you blew (if your lucky) head gasket(s), if not, a crack in the head(s) or sometimes, rarely, the block. Take out ALL the plugs and try and turn it over. If its still locked up..graze thru your favorite car catalog for another engine or rebuild kit. White smoke from tail pipe is normal for a tiny bit..any more than that, its coolant leaking into the cyclinder..black smoke is fuel (rich) and blue smoke is oil. Its best to put what part of the country in your avatar..a kind member may live near you..or a buyer. Hard to pin all this down in 2 or 3 sentances and just not alot of info given. Best of luck. Hopefully you broke something in the starter system and not your engine on all the repeated retrys at cranking. No comment on that.

 

That much fuel has to come from somewhere and probably NOT your injectors. My guess is your fuel regulator diaphragm ruptured and fuel is back-flowing through the vacuum line into the intake manifold. Now the bad news. Hydrolocking an engine can cause big damage (bent valves, broken pistons, rings, rods). Pull ALL the spark plugs and try to bar the engine over. If it won't turn over freely, get ready for an expensive exploratory. If it does, find and fix the problem before you try to run the engine.

 

I agree with DanZ51 - good chance it's your fuel pressure regulator (fpr).
1. It's important that you remove your battery before attempting any repairs - a spark could be very dangerous. Recharge the battery in a different location than where you are working on the car until the repairs are finished.
2. Replace the regulator and while you are at it, replace all of the fuel injectors with a rebuilt and flow matched set from FIC -http://www.fuelinjectorconnection.com/ and you can reach Jon (the owner) at 770-888-1662. The injectors run only $189.00 for a full set which is a true bargain and he stands behind his injectors. Most importantly they are a big upgrade over the stock injectors.
3. He also has a rebuild kit for the fpr that saves you a great deal of money over a new regulator ($50.00 compared to $113.00 from Rockauto.com).
4. Also if it already has not been changed - replace the fuel filter. As stated above in prior responses - pull the sparkplugs and see if the engine will turn over.
5. Change the oil and filter - gas could have leaked past the piston rings and filled the crankcase - just as bad as gas in the cylinders. You'll probably have to change the oil a couple more times to make sure all gas is out of the crankcase.
6. Pull the spark plugs, clean them and turn the engine over with the battery to clear the cylinders as previously advised.
6. Raw gas is bad for the catalytic converters - I would let it sit a few days before trying to start it after the repairs are made in the hope that any gas in the converters dries out. Others with more experience may have better advice on this.
7. As to the leaking trans line - is it the connection to the radiator? If so go to Home Depot or other hardware and get the gas/oil resistant Teflon tape (it's yellow) carefully remove the fitting and wrap the tape a couple of times around it starting a couple of threads from the beginning then try screwing it back in the fitting. It's not elegant but it should save you some money and buy you some time.

Good luck with the repair and don't give up - come back with updates on it also.

P.S. if you don't already have it, get the factory service manual for your year.

 

Dan and SIlver are on the right track.
Pull the vacumm hose off the FPR and inspect for presence of fuel. If YES then the diaphragm is ruptured and requires replacement.
But there may be other major issues here

You should pull all 8 plugs and try to turn it over.
Careful to not set it on fire, then the insurance company will have to settle with ya..

 

........ Sorry to hear of your dilemma ... I have worked professionally as a mechanic and was always dismayed by the lack of common sense displayed by so many of my peers ... guess that's why I went another career direction ... Where are you ? ... a single female with an above average understanding about engines , owns a Corvette , and is presently a damsel in distress could warrant a diagnostic / trouble shooting visit by any of many of the DIY vette owners on this forum ... or at the least an accurate recommendation of a reliable repair facility in your neck 'o the woods ......

 

wow !

I'd follow the advise of these guys and do the basic test but prepare yourself for some engine shopping...it sounds like this simple repair has cascaded into a disaster...

I'd ALSO be looking into legal action against the shop that caused this. Small claims at least. Document what evidence there is, keep receipts and get a statement from the "friend" and note his qualifications. Someone (besides you) has to pay for this stupid mishandling of this car.

 

please keep us updated on your results. As gear heads, we like to find out what happeded and where the finger points o the problem.

 

I vote for a ruptured fuel pressure regulator diaphragm.

When mine ruptured it caused a fire. FIX THIS ASAP!!! Don't drive it in this condition.

My suggestion is to deal with that first and don't do 20 things trying to fix this. One thing at a time.

 

OK, so what I am hearing is the engine is locked, done, dead! Took out all of the spark plugs which tested fine but the engine did not crank. Just a "click" at ignition. I am not sure if my friend hand cranked but he did tell me I need to go back to the shop that installed the two radiators and hold them liable.

As I mentioned, I didn't want to take it back to that shop so I had a friend who works for GM 20 years scheduled to install the water pump but the gas through the exhaust and white smoke came about less than two weeks after I had the car back. He installed the water pump, replaced the #5 & #7 fuel injectors and all the spark plugs. When I picked it up it pretty much acted like before except for now it was really sputtering and misfiring but there was no white smoke or gas from the undercarriage.

So here's the status: Not only will it not crank, there are two holes in the bottom of the fuel injectors #5 & #7, the 2nd radiator was cross-threaded into the transmission and there are some wires damaged from the Master Cylinder. I am not sure had I caught the FPSR in time (which I agree was definitely an issue as indicated by the fuel spray positioned on my windshield) it would've saved all of this but what would make THAT fail?

I am researching and preparing to approach the shop and demand they replace my engine at no charge. If anyone has input that would assist in getting around the B.S. they will try to feed me, please do tell. I am 95% certain they are liable...until May 2012 when I took it into this shop, I had no issues with my vette other than it overheating due to an old and gunked-at-the-bottom radiator. I take care of my vette...it is special. I know I don't have to explain what it means to me or how devistated I am about what's happened .

Thank You so much!!

Gina

 

The radiator problem did not cause your engine to fail. The hydo lock from the failed fpr caused the failure. I doubt the shop will replace your engine.

Good luck

 

make double sure the engine isnt locked up by trying to turn that sucker over by hand, ,NOT using the starter..hopefully you didnt burn your starter out.

 

I didn't know it at the time but the shop wired the first radiator incorrectly which was part of the reason for the transmission fluid issue. Something was grounded because my air conditioning and anything that ran on that same fuse wouldn't work. Each time I tried to put a fuse in, it would just pop before I even got it all the way in the slot. After the second radiator install and when they informed me the water pump was leaking (wouldn't transmission fluid being pulled throught the radiator and cycling back through the engine until bursting out the overflow put extra pressure on the water pump?) they even told me that the temperature gauge may not function correctly so I needed not to rely on my instrument panel readings. Immediately the "low coolant" light kept coming on. Then the "check engine" light. MANY things seemed out of whack. I'll spare you the rest of that part of the story but wouldn't it be fair to say with all that mess going on it was easy for me to not be focused on the fuel pressure regulator? And what exactly would be suspect for causing the fpr failure? Oh, and the air conditioning and all that ran on the same fuse worked after the second radiator install. Isn't it possible that because of the negligent wiring some other sensor wasn't functioning so I couldn't have known the engine was trying to tell me something?

 

I live in the seattle area. :-)

 

I'm pretty sure my friend did but i wasn't around at the time. I'll get her back up in the air and do it myself. Thank you! :-)

 

Gina,

The first hint that damage could have been caused from the overheating you had before it went to the shop for radiator replacement, things get out of shape when they are heated beyond their normal limits and this is when bad things happen like cracked heads, blown head gaskets and temper taken out of piston rings causing poor compression and coolant getting sucked into your cylinders causing hydrolock.

If I were you I would have a pressure test done to your cooling system to see if and where your cooling system is compromised, keep the plugs out while you do this pressure test in case the cylinders (s) get loaded with coolant.

Starter may be done or cooked so it might be best to try and turn motor over by hand with all 8 plugs removed, use the center balancer bolt and long 1/2" drive ratchet to turn the crank, if it won't turn by hand, your problems and much deeper and removal of engine and tear down is your next step.

Make sure battery is disconnected before you do anything for safety reasons.

Might want to check your trans fluid color to see if any coolant contamination get in there if internal trans cooler tank inside radiator was damaged....

Good luck

Gibby

 

....... That's not too far from Florida ... ....... Dang ! ........

 

Well it's difficult to follow your "chain of events." A radiator isn't "wired", the only "wire" I can think of is the coolant level sensor. Twenty years old and being removed and installed it's possible/likely the coolant level sensor failed, not necessarily the shops fault. Now radiator #1 had a transmission cooler fail/leak causing the overflow tank to burst: plausible. But I doubt (and you would have a difficult time proving) the cooler failure caused the waterpump leak as radiator pressure is limited by the radiator cap. As to your A/C issues, I cannot see ANY link to your radiator replacement (maybe a later model Vette owner can correct me). I don't believe there was any reason to evacuate or touch the A/C system, but possibly you have a pressure sensor from the receiver-dryer shorted causing a fuse issue. On to radiator #2 and you are stating the transmission line(s) are leaking, could possibly be a damaged transmission cooling line/fitting. Yes, this is something the Radiator shop is responsible for and should be made aware of. The question is should they be allowed to fix it (make it right)? It may be simply be a loose fitting or not seating correctly.

Now to your drivability problem which may have led to your engine being hydrolocked. IF it is actually hydrolocked, from excess fuel (which by your description sounds like the case) nothing could be blamed upon the radiator, over heating, or the radiator shop. In fact, it was your poor decision to continue to try and operate the vehicle: "limp home". I hate to come off like an a$$, but it sounds like you're trying to blame your misfortune on someone else (the radiator shop). You go on to state you had a "friend who works for GM 20 years" do some work (why only 2 injectors?) but he still did not fix your engine problem. Then you mention something about "wires damaged from the master cylinder", again this should have nothing to do with the radiator shop work (plus there's only one wire on the master cylinder). To answer your question, your FPR ruptured from age, heat, and fuel composition. They fail, just like many other parts.

I think it's time you either find some one you can trust and knows something about 20 year old corvettes (cause you don't), or trade your Corvette in on a new Cruze. I know that sounds harsh, but your the type of customer that got me out of auto repair at a young age.

 

My advice to you on the legal aspect of this is to find a lawyer to take this to the shop and you will also have to get a REAL professional opinion from a professional witness...a certified tech that CAN sort thru this and get to whatever started the cascading failures...

The FPR is unrelated to the radiator and trans. A bad FPR that floods the engine with liquid gasoline is what will hydrolock an engine.

BUT< a blown headgasket, intake gasket or cracked head will send coolant into the engine and do the same thing. Someopne needs to figure out which caused what...

This is going to be a mess. If that engine is seized, start looking for a drop in replacement. Finding a good used engine will be the cheapest way out of this. You WILL pay for it up front and hopefully the lawyer can get you reimbursed...ONLY IF there is sufficicnt money in it for him....Thats the rub like they say...it has to be worthwhile to get someone to help. That shop that wired the fans wrong, won;t admit to anything. Once they hear the words "damage" "lawyer" "liable"....they will slam the door and not speak with you again since whatever they say might be used against them in a legal deposition. You can ask once, but they will deny. Its money. They work hard every day to scam it away and they won;t willingly give it back.

Sorry, but you have a mess on your hands.
Best of luck to your and your car.

 

with above posters as the fpr the culprit. my son had the small block in his truck hydo and the fpr was the cause,but to further this aggrevation,after pulling all plugs and watching fuel pour out of a few cylinders the motor would not turn over,first thought was he bent a rod ,which is not uncommon. in starting the tear down,low and behold,when pulling the starter the bendix was wedged to the flywheel with a broken tooth on the flywheel. once removing the starter the motor turned over fine. replaced the flywheel,the fpr,problem solved.at least in our case. good luck. just my 2 cents.